For the first time ever, the Catholic Church has crossed a line and become directly involved in conflicts within a political party.

ZAGREB, March 23, 2018 - Member of Parliament Milorad Pupovac of the Independent Democratic Serb Party (SDSS) said in the parliament on Friday that a part of MPs were exposed to pressures and threats due to their position on the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (Istanbul Convention).

ZAGREB, March 23, 2018 - President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović has been strongly and continually advocating for the legal protection of women against violence and the implementation of measures to prevent domestic violence, her office said in a statement.

ZAGREB, March 22, 2018 - Women from various political options and of different worldviews on Thursday supported the government's decisions to send the Istanbul Convention to the Croatian parliament for ratification, stressing that the convention's main aim is the protection of women against violence and that gender ideology is not mentioned in it.

The survey was commissioned by the government.

ZAGREB, March 22, 2018 - Social Democratic Party (SDP) leader Davor Bernardić said on Thursday that his party would vote for the ratification of the Istanbul Convention despite the accompanying interpretive statement, which he described as "a useless piece of paper".

ZAGREB, March 22, 2018 - The government on Thursday adopted an interpretive statement alongside a bill on the ratification of the Istanbul Convention which says the aim of the Convention is protection of women from all forms of violence, that its provisions do not contain the obligation to introduce gender ideology in Croatia's legal and educational system, and that the Convention is in line with constitutional provisions, notably on protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms.

ZAGREB, March 21, 2018 - The cabinet of Prime Minister Andrej Plenković that will convene on Thursday is expected to put forward a bill to the parliament on ratifying the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (Istanbul Convention) and an accompanying interpretive statement.

The party leadership seems intent to lose the few remaining supporters.

ZAGREB, March 21, 2018 - Partners making up Croatia's ruling coalition support the planned ratification of the Istanbul Convention and the interpretive statement that will accompany the law on the ratification of the Convention is acceptable to them, reporters were told after a meeting of the coalition partners on Wednesday.